Ruhama is a beautiful two month old baby girl, who lives with her parents in Ethiopia. Both of her parents are quite young, and due to their having left school early, both work as day laborers, earning limited wages. Ruhama was born with an anorectal malformation, which is a congenital abnormality that leads to a complete or partial intestinal blockage. She needs to undergo a series of procedures to eliminate her bowel dysfunction and help her grow up healthy. Ruhama is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on February 1st, at BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Ruhama's procedure and care. After her recovery, Ruhama will no longer experience bowel dysfunction, or be at risk of developing health complications in the future. Ruhama's mother said: “I will leave her at the hands of God. I can’t say she will heal or not, but it’s all God’s will."

Thorn is a 60-year-old retired fish seller who lives in Cambodia. She has one son, four daughters, and three grandchildren. Sadly, her husband passed away several years ago. Since that time, her oldest daughter has been working in a nearby garment factory to help support the family. Before retiring to provide full-time care for her son, Thorn spent several decades working in the local market selling river fish and clams. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and listening to monks pray on the radio. About one year ago, Thorn developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she cannot go places on her own. When Thorn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 2nd, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. CSC is requesting $253 to fund this procedure. Thorn shared: "I hope I can have surgery so I can see around my house to do chores, and my family won’t worry about me anymore."

Shinka is a 6-year-old boy from Kenya. He is the last born in a family of seven children. His father, who was the sole breadwinner of the family passed away in 2017 after a short illness. To provide for the family, the eldest son, who finished his high school studies last year, sells milk to earn some money. Sometimes the earnings are not much, and they have to rely on family members for financial support. The family does not have medical coverage and is not able to raise the money needed to pay for Shinka's surgery. In May of last year, Shinka started experiencing some difficulty when passing urine. At some point, he had stopped going to school for a few weeks. His mother shared Shinka's condition with his uncle who took him to a local health center for review. Shinka was examined and referred to our facility. When he came with his uncle for examination, doctors were able to diagnose his condition and also found a condition called cryptorchidism that first requires a bilateral orchidopexy surgery. If left untreated, Shinka has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Shinka will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on January 11th. AMHF is requesting $646 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Shinka’s uncle says, “We are very much worried as a family about Shinka’s condition. His studies are affected, and we want him to go back to school as soon as possible.”